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Dual boom STS crane for Turkey

Liebherr has designed a new double boom ship to shore crane for international container terminal operator Grup TCB with the company placing an order for four cranes for its 360 metre pier in Aliaga, Turkey.

The four double boom ship to shore cranes – two of which have already been delivered – have a reach of 50 metres on either side of the pier, with a rail track width of 36 metres, providing 136 metres of total trolley travel length from the jib tip on one side of the crane to the jib tip on the other. They have a lift height to the spreader of 38 metres and can lower to a depth below ground of 15 metres. Each of the crane’s four jibs can be raised to allow berthing behind the crane, while it works on the other side of the pier. The cane’s operator cab, spreader and machinery trolley rotate through 180 degrees for fast switching from one side to the other.

Pat O’Leary, managing director Liebherr Container Cranes, said: “The double boom crane design was a unique engineering project in terms of innovation and scale. We manufactured a smaller double luffing crane in 1976 for Piombino Italy. We were able to draw on the many years experience in designing site specific and machinery house trolley cranes which helped us deliver the optimum solution for the Port of Aliaga.”

Grup TCB added: “Until now, in order to service container vessels on both sides of the jetty pier, the use of mobile harbour cranes has been necessary. This situation was far from ideal and was not optimising the operational flexibility that a finger pier provides. The double boom cranes will now allow up to four cranes to work on the same vessel simultaneously, thus easily exceeding 100 moves per hour per vessel.”

Established in 1972 Grup TCB specialises in maritime cargo activities and logistics solutions with terminals throughout Europe and the Americas.